Smoking among Brazilian adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic

a cross-sectional study

Authors

Keywords:

Tobacco use, Adolescent, COVID-19, Cross-sectional studies, Brazil

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The social distancing measures during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic resulted in mental suffering among adolescents, leading to risky consumption of psychoactive substances such as tobacco. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the factors associated with tobacco use among adolescents during the COVID-19 social distancing period in Brazil. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study used data from ConVid Adolescentes survey in Brazil. METHODS: Tobacco use was assessed before and during social distancing. The explanatory variables investigated were sex, age, race/skin color, type of school, maternal education, region of residence, adherence to social restriction measures, number of close friends, sleep quality during the pandemic, mood, passive smoking, use of alcoholic beverages during the pandemic, sedentary behavior, and physical activity. A logistic regression model was used for the data analysis. RESULTS: Tobacco use by adolescents did not change during the pandemic (from 2.58% to 2.41%). There was a higher chance of tobacco use among adolescents aged between 16 and 17 years, self-reported black ones, residing in the South and Southeast regions, reported feeling sad and loneliness, had sleeping problems that worsened, were using alcoholic beverages during the pandemic, and were passive smokers at home. Adolescents whose mothers had completed high school or higher, had strict social restrictions, and increased their physical activity during the pandemic had a lower chance of tobacco use. CONCLUSION: Tobacco uses during the COVID-19 pandemic was higher in vulnerable groups, such as black adolescents and those with mental suffering.

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Author Biographies

Deborah Carvalho Malta, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

PhD. Physician and Associated Professor, Department of Maternal and Child Nursing and Public Health, Faculty of Nursing, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte (MG), Brazil.

Crizian Saar Gomes, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

PhD. Nutritionist and Post-doctoral Student, Postgraduate Program in Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte (MG), Brazil.

Nádia Machado de Vasconcelos, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

MSc. Physician and Doctoral Student, Postgraduate Program in Public Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte (MG), Brazil.

Francielle Thalita Almeida Alves, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

Undergraduate Student, Faculty of Nursing, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte (MG), Brazil.

Arthur Pate de Souza Ferreira, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

PhD. Researcher, Department of Epidemiology and Quantitative Methods in Health, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil.

Marilisa Berti de Azevedo Barros, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

PhD. Physician and Full Professor, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas (SP), Brazil.

Margareth Guimarães Lima, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

PhD. Researcher, Department of Public Health, Faculty of Medical Sciences, Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP), Campinas (SP), Brazil.

Celia Landmann Szwarcwald, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais

PhD. Senior Researcher, Laboratório de Informação e Saúde (LIS), Instituto de Comunicação e Informação Científica e Tecnológica em Saúde (ICICT), Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Brazil.

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Published

2023-10-05

How to Cite

1.
Malta DC, Gomes CS, Vasconcelos NM de, Alves FTA, Ferreira AP de S, Barros MB de A, Lima MG, Szwarcwald CL. Smoking among Brazilian adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic: a cross-sectional study. Sao Paulo Med J [Internet]. 2023 Oct. 5 [cited 2025 Feb. 7];141(6):1-8. Available from: https://periodicosapm.emnuvens.com.br/spmj/article/view/360

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Original Article